Make sure to follow Mark on Twitter!
One of the hockey world's best-known "secrets" was formally unveiled on Monday morning as
Hockey Canada elected to bring back Head Coach
Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings to defend Canada's gold medal from the previous Olympic tournament held four years prior on their home ice in Vancouver.
In addition to Babcock, the staff will also include returning assistants
Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis Blues) and
Lindy Ruff (Dallas Stars).
Claude Julien (Boston Bruins) will serve as the "associate head coach" on the staff.
In addition, former Edmonton Oilers head coach
Ralph Krueger is expected to be part of the coaching staff, given his experience in the international game having served as Switzerland's head coach for 13 years. Krueger will likely assist the Canadian coaching staff in scouting the systems of Canada's opponents.
After having been able to deliver a gold medal on home ice under the immense expectations of Canadian hockey fans, this tournament provides a unique challenge for Babcock and his staff. Babcock follows in the footsteps of former Team Canada head coach
Pat Quinn, who returned to be Canada's Olympic coach at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy after leading Canada to gold in 2002 at the Salt Lake City Olympics.
Whereas Quinn and his group struggled in his return as Team Canada's Olympic coach (Canada lost 2-0 in the quarter-finals to Russia in 2006), the hope is Babcock's leadership style will help guide a Canadian team that has failed to bring back a medal of any color from overseas in the Olympics, failing to medal in the two Olympic tournament held outside of North America (4th place in Nagano, Japan in 1998, 7th place in Turin, Italy in 2006) with NHL players.
Furthermore, Canada will be looking to pull off a feat no country has been able to do during the four tournaments that have been held with NHL players. The last time a country repeated as Olympic hockey champion was when the Unified Team (Commonwealth of Independant States), representing the former Soviet Union won gold in 1992.
Like
Wayne Gretzky in 2006 before him, Team Canada's executive director from their gold medal victory returns in Red Wing legend
Steve Yzerman, now general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Detroit's veteran GM
Ken Holland is part of Yzerman's management group that will assist him in selecting the 23-man roster for the Olympic tournament in Sochi, Russia next February.
Hockey Canada also confirmed there will be a National Men's Team orientation camp from Aug. 25-28 in Calgary.
[email protected]
Follow me on twitter:
@markspizzirri
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»